


Coming to Light

by kanashimibeast



Series: OutcomeShipping [4]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Fluff, Humor, Local Idiot tries to tell his friends he's in a relationship, M/M, No Gordie or Bea because I haven't played Sword, shenanigans ensue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21575062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanashimibeast/pseuds/kanashimibeast
Summary: Raihan and Leon decide that they should probably start telling their friends about their relationship.Unfortunately, Leon's not very good at it.
Relationships: Leon/Raihan, Nessa/Sonia
Series: OutcomeShipping [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550740
Comments: 25
Kudos: 716





	Coming to Light

**Author's Note:**

> This series was previously named "SelfieShipping" until a commenter pointed out that the name was already taken, so I renamed it to "OutcomeShipping" per their suggestion. I hope this doesn't cause any confusion.
> 
> Also, this was originally supposed to be shorter, but I had way too much fun with it and it quickly ballooned in length. Whoops.

It was a struggle to act normal while walking onto the pitch, but somehow Leon managed. He kept a bright smile on his face and walked with long and seemingly easy strides, but every time he took a step, he had to ignore the shooting pain that went up his back. Apparently using spit when they ran out of lube had been a terrible idea.

He finally reached the center of the pitch, and at least the pain wasn’t as bad when he was only standing. “Hello, people of Galar!” He called, as bright and cheerful as he could be. “Thank you for coming to today’s event! Are you ready to watch Galar’s best and brightest battle it out today?”

The crowd replied with a deafening roar. Leon laughed. “Believe me, I’m just as excited as you are!” He said. “I can’t wait to see who will be the challenger squaring off against me in the finals, but until then, let’s all have a champion time!”

He threw his cape back with a flourish and went into his trademarked Charizard pose, and he hoped the cameras didn’t pick up on how his legs stiffened and his teeth gritted together in a grimace. The pain was sharp, quick, and almost blinding. He prayed to Arceus that he didn’t need to do the pose again any time soon.

He kept the pose up as long as he dared, then turned to walk off the pitch so the battles could get underway. Chairman Rose was there waiting for him as soon as he stepped off the field. “I see you’ve gotten the crowd worked up as usual,” he said, peering out at the stands and watching the fans cheer. Then he turned his gaze to Leon, and Leon didn’t like the keen, suspicious look in his eyes. “But you seem a bit stiffer than normal. I hope you didn’t hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Leon said, trying to brush it off with a wave of his hand and a bright smile. “Just overexerted myself a little last night. You know how I can get when I get into a training routine.”

The chairman raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t question it. Instead he shrugged and turned to walk back to the locker rooms with Leon. “Take care to get some rest,” he said. “The semi-finals are only a week away, and I’m sure your little brother wouldn’t want to see you in poor form.”

“Oh no, I would hate to disappoint him.” Leon chuckled and shook his head. He had no doubt that Hop would make it to the semi-finals, considering how quickly he and his friend had blazed through their gym challenge. The thought of battling against his brother had him grin. Wouldn’t  _ that _ be a fight for the ages.

Chairman Rose’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “I’ve been taking care of the hotel arrangements for the Championship Cup, by the way,” he said. “I take it you want the usual suite?”

“Yes, that will do fine.” Leon hesitated, remembering an idea that Raihan had suggested to him just a few nights earlier, and he wondered if it was wise to bring it up with the chairman. He figured that it couldn’t hurt to ask. “And if I can make a small request, can Raihan have an adjacent suite?”

Chairman Rose stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. “Raihan?” He repeated. He studied Leon’s face, and his brow furrowed. “Don’t tell me  _ he’s _ the reason you’re so sore today.”

Leon tried to find a convincing lie, but he couldn’t think of anything, and the way his cheeks had flushed probably didn’t help his case. Fortunately for him, the chairman just laughed. “Ah, to be young again,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll make the arrangements, so long as you promise that the two of you don’t get carried away before the Championship Cup. We can’t have the Undefeatable Leon limping out to the pitch.”

Leon flushed an even deeper red. “We’ll be careful, sir.”

“Good.” Chairman Rose laughed again and turned around. “Oleana, can you take care of the arrangements for me? Secretly, of course.”

“Of course, Chairman Rose,” said Oleana, and Leon jumped when she appeared seemingly out of nowhere. “I will ensure it is done as discreetly as possible.”

“Good, good.” Rose smiled and started to walk off, waving over his shoulder at Leon. “Best of luck, young champion.”

* * *

“I’ve never been so embarrassed before in my life,” Leon said to Raihan later that night, once they were safely behind locked doors in Raihan’s Hammerlocke apartment. His face flushed just remembering the incident with the chairman. “Can you imagine how much trouble we could have been in?”

“Trouble?” Raihan snorted, lounging back on the couch and flicking through channels on the telly. “You’re the chairman’s golden boy, Leon. No way you would have gotten in trouble.”

“But what if it hadn’t been the chairman?” Leon said, pacing back and forth across the living room and trying not to wince with each step. “What if someone else had found us out, someone who didn’t care about keeping it a secret? What would we do then?”

Raihan shrugged. “We would have figured something out,” he said. “Also, for Arceus’s sake, will you please stop pacing and sit down? I’m getting sore just watching you.”

Leon sighed and went to sit beside Raihan on the couch. They had decided to skip having sex that night since he was still recovering, and while a night watching movies together sounded relaxing in theory, he couldn’t forget what had happened earlier that day. “I’m just worried that we may not be able to keep up the charade any longer,” he said, frowning. “If we’re going to keep meeting like this, people are going to find out eventually.”

“Then maybe we should start telling them,” Raihan said, giving Leon a meaningful look. “I mean, as much as I enjoy being the only one who knows about this - aside from you and Piers - things are going to go over more smoothly if we tell people about us on our terms instead of letting them find out for themselves.”

“Yes, I know.” Leon rubbed his face and groaned. “I just wish I knew where to start.”

“Hey, it’s not like we have to tell everyone right off the bat.” Raihan wrapped an arm around Leon’s shoulder. “We can start with the League. The other gym leaders know you well enough that they shouldn’t care. Hell, maybe you can even start with Sonia, considering how the two of you are such old friends.”

“Sonia?” Leon went pale at the thought. “Raihan, I haven’t so much as  _ mentioned _ sex to her ever since our disastrous teenage fling.”

“Then don’t go into details, dummy.” Raihan rolled his eyes. “Just tell her we’ve been seeing each other and that should be enough. She’s smart enough to figure out the rest.”

“But…” Leon sighed and shook his head. “I know you’re right, but I have no idea how to bring it up.”

“Take your time figuring it out. There’s no rush.” Raihan leaned in and stole a kiss. “Just focus on helping me pick out a movie so we can relax tonight.”

Leon smiled. “Well,” he said, leaning against Raihan and stealing a quick kiss of his own. “I hear there’s a movie about Red playing on channel nine...”

* * *

“I just don’t understand it,” Sonia said, frowning down into her cup of tea. “Explosions, red light, dynamaxing out of nowhere… something’s happening, Leon.”

“I know,” said Leon, taking a few sips of his coffee. He and Sonia had taken a quick lunch at the Hammerlocke Battle Cafe after the dynamaxing incident, partly to compare notes and partly just to catch up, but he was having a hard time focusing on that. He kept remembering Raihan’s suggestion to tell Sonia about their relationship and then doing his best to ignore the thought. “I talked to the chairman about it, but he seems as clueless as we are. I just hope this doesn’t interfere with the Championship Cup, seeing how it’s only a few days away...”

“You would think that, you battle lunatic.” Sonia managed a laugh, but then her expression sobered. “I hope this doesn’t have anything to do with the Darkest Day. I’ve been looking into it more and more, and this incident has some unsettling parallels to it. If only I knew what the Darkest Day really was…”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Leon said. He flashed a winning smile at Sonia. “After all, you saw how quickly I took down that giant Perrserker, right?”

Sonia scoffed. “Yes, I saw,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I know you could handle a Darkest Day on your own if you wanted to. I’m just worried about what  _ caused _ it.”

“Yes, I wonder that too.” Leon frowned. “Maybe there’s something more in the Vault? I can talk to Raihan to see if there’s anything that got missed the first time you went through it.”

“I doubt it, but I’ll make that my next stop just in case.” Sonia sipped her tea. “If only that Perrserker had stayed dynamaxed long enough for me to take a look at it, maybe I could find some clues. You’re too damn quick, Leon.”

Leon winced. He knew that she hadn’t meant it that way, but his thoughts went all the way back to their disastrous teenage fling. “Maybe my rotom phone recorded part of the battle?” He suggested, trying to veer as far away from that uncomfortable reminder as possible. He pulled his rotom phone out of his pocket and held it out to Sonia. “I have it set up to start recording once a battle begins, so that I can watch it back later and study it if I need to. It may not have recorded much since the battle was so quick, but maybe it got something.”

“Leon, I’ve never been happier that you were such a battle lunatic.” Sonia perked up and all but snatched the phone out of his hands. “Let’s just hope you got something.”

Leon smiled, pleased that he had been able to cheer her up, until he remembered that she would have to look through his phone’s gallery. Looking through his gallery meant seeing all his recent photos, and his most recent photos were ones he’d saved after Raihan sent them to him. A sharp chill gripped his heart at the realization. “Actually, maybe you should let me look for them. I have some photos in there that aren’t--”

“Mother of  _ Arcerus, _ ” Sonia said, and Leon knew it was too late. She was staring down at his phone with wide eyes and a face that got redder with each passing second. “Is that  _ Raihan _ ?”

“Yes,” Leon mumbled, wanting nothing more than to jump on his Charizard and fly the hell out of there. He took the phone back from Sonia and looked at the photos she had seen. Okay, not as risque as they could have been, but it was still clear what he and Raihan were doing in them. He winced. “I’ve been meaning to tell you about that, but I hadn’t figured out how.”

“Well, that probably wasn’t the best way for me to find out,” Sonia said, trying to make a dry joke even though she had trouble looking him in the eye. “Although I know it’s been awkward for us to talk about relationships ever since… that.”

“Exactly.” Leon tore his gaze away from the photos of him and Raihan to see if there were any recordings of the dynamaxed Perrserker. To his relief, he did have a few, so he pulled them up and sent them to Sonia’s phone so she could look at them without having to see any of his other photos. That done, he slid his phone back into his pocket and tried to meet her eyes. “But I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

Sonia nodded. The two sat in silence for a bit, both staring into their drinks, until Sonia spoke again. “So… you and Raihan,” she said, looking up at him with only a little bit of hesitation. “You’re… dating?”

“Kind of?” Leon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “We haven’t actually discussed it. It, ah, started as a…  _ casual _ arrangement and it’s grown from there, but I’m not entirely sure where he and I stand. We haven’t taken to calling each other boyfriends or anything like that.”

“Huh.” Sonia’s brow furrowed. “Well… I guess of all the people you could end up with, Raihan makes the most sense. And it makes sense that you’re keeping it on the down low. Who else knows?”

“Chairman Rose found out recently, as did Oleana.” Leon coughed. “And Raihan told Piers. Raihan also suggested I let the other gym leaders know, but I have had no idea how to broach the topic with them.”

Sonia managed a smile. “Want me to tell Nessa for you?” She asked. “After all, she and I are dating.”

Leon blinked and stared at her. Sonia laughed. “I figured if this was honesty hour, I might as well join in,” she said. “And I’m still your friend, after all. If you need help getting the word out, I can make things a little easier for you.”

“That… would help.” Leon relaxed enough to smile. “Thank you, Sonia. I really do appreciate it.”

“Don’t sweat it, Leon.” Sonia finished her tea and stood. “I need to get back on the trail of this Darkest Day stuff, but I promise to tell Nessa once I get a chance. Just keep  _ my _ relationship on the down low too, okay? Nessa’s got her modeling career to think of.”

“Of course, I understand perfectly.” Leon nodded. “I’ll keep it quiet for you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Sonia smiled at him. “And good luck telling the others.”

Leon managed a shaky laugh. “I think I’m going to need it.”

* * *

The chairman held a small League gathering at Rose Tower every year before the semi-finals, which Leon was obligated to go to as champion, and he appreciated the chance to catch up with the gym leaders before the tournament got going in earnest. He’d always enjoyed slipping into a crowd and striking up conversations. What he didn’t appreciate was having to check his cape every five minutes.

He bit back a grumble as he tugged the ruff of his cape higher on his neck, making sure it hid the bruise right under his ear. Raihan had gotten carried away again. Leon really should have stopped him, but it was difficult to think properly when Raihan had him pinned to a bed and was growling into his ear about how sexy he was. Now he had to make sure that none of the gym leaders or league staff milling about the room paid too close attention to his neck.

_ I should look into getting a new costume sometime, _ he thought to himself, checking to see that his cape was high enough to hide the bruise.  _ Maybe a nice high-collared coat with swallow tails and jodhpurs. I think I’d look very nice in a cravat as well… _

“Seems like you’re having a spot of trouble there, young man.”

Leon turned to see Opal and Melony standing behind, looking at him with expressions that he didn’t quite understand but could only assume were smug. “Trouble?” He repeated, trying to brush it off with a laugh. “Oh no, no trouble at all. Just adjusting my cape.”

“Leon, dear, it’s just not high enough for what you need it to do.” Melony hid a snicker behind her hand. “I’m amazed no one’s taught you the proper way to deal with bruises yet, right Opal?”

Opal nodded and held out a hand to Leon, a small vial of something resting on her palm. “Here, young man,” she said. “It’s not a perfect match for your skin-tone, since it’s a little too pink, but some concealer is still better than none. You could use the added pink anyways.”

Leon blushed deep red, but he took the concealer from Opal and nodded. “Thank you.”

“And here’s a little something from me,” Melony said, holding out a spoon to him. When Leon stared at it in confusion, she laughed. “Cold metal helps with bruises. I borrowed that from the dining table and had my Frosmoth hit it with a quick gust of icy wind when I was in the bathroom.”

“Ah, thank you.” Leon took that as well, glancing around to make sure no one was watching as he tucked the concealer and the spoon in his pocket, with a mental note to excuse himself to the bathroom as soon as possible. “Much appreciated. Just don’t, ah…”

“Your secret is safe with us,” Opal said, with a shake of her head. She looked across the room towards the dining table, where Raihan was chatting with Piers, and her gaze focused on Raihan. “Even though it’s not terribly hard to figure out who left those bruises on you to begin with.”

Leon stared. Melony laughed. “Oh come on,” she said. “Even if the two of you weren’t rivals, there’s only one person in here who could go that rough.”

_ You’d be surprised, _ Leon thought, reflecting on his experience with Piers. Still, he ducked his head and nodded. “Fair enough,” he said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make use of your gifts.”

“Of course, honey,” Melony said, and she shared a chuckle with Opal as they walked off. Leon all but darted through the crowd on his way to the bathroom. He got a few raised eyebrows from League staff as he hurried past, but he did his best to ignore them. If the bruise was really as obvious as Melony and Opal said it was, he needed to fix it as soon as possible.

He ducked into the men’s room and was relieved to see that it was empty.  _ Let’s make this quick, _ he told himself, finding a good spot in front of the mirror before taking the spoon and concealer out of his pocket. He tugged down the ruff of his cape so that he could press the spoon against his bruise, wincing a little at the chill, but keeping it there as long as he could. He had no idea how long he was supposed to keep it there. He didn’t even know if he was using the spoon properly.

The bathroom door opened. “...Anyways, that’s why I don’t let my Wooloo eat pomeg berries anymore,” Milo was saying as he and Kabu walked into the bathroom. “And that’s not even getting started on the tamato berries…”

Leon froze. Milo was too wrapped up in what he was saying to notice him, but Kabu noticed him instantly. He looked him up and down, saw the spoon that he had pressed against his neck, and raised an eyebrow. “You know,” he said, stoic as ever, “of all the things I expected you to be into, biting was not one of them.”

Leon turned an even brighter red than Kabu’s uniform. Milo finally took notice of him and the spoon. “Oh, hi Leon!” He said. “Took a tumble in the hay recently, I take it?”

“Took a what-- Oh.” Leon looked down at the sink so that he didn’t have to look at Kabu or Milo. “Um… I can explain…?”

Kabu held up a hand. “Your personal life does not have to be any of our business.”

“Kabu’s right. It’s not like we’re not tabloid reporters or anything.” Milo shrugged. “Everyone’s allowed to have a little fun every now and again.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Leon relaxed, although it did little to help the blush on his cheeks. He stole a glance up at Kabu and Milo. “I don’t suppose either of you can help me with this bruise, can you?”

Kabu came over to take a look. He raised an eyebrow when he pulled the spoon away and saw the saw of the bruise underneath. “You had a rough partner.”

Leon managed a shaky smile. “Raihan likes to bite.”

“Raihan?” Kabu blinked, but then nodded. “Makes sense for him.”

“Oof. I’ve seen the teeth on that grin, his bite must hurt worse than a Mudsdale’s.” Milo came over to see the bruise for himself. “Yup, looks just like the bruise I got from my da’s Mudsdale as a kid.”

Leon bit back a comment about how he didn’t expect Mudsdales to be such biters. “Opal gave me some concealer to help hide it,” he said, picking it up off the counter and looking it over. “But I have no idea how to put it on.”

“Don’t you have to wear makeup for your TV interviews?”

“That doesn’t mean I know how to put it on,” Leon said, giving Milo an exasperated look. “The networks always get a stylist to do it for me, and they’ve never used concealer before.”

Milo shrugged. “Can’t be that hard.”

“Let’s see.” Kabu took the concealer from Leon and put a dollop on his finger, then smoothed it over the bruise. He frowned and tried to smooth it over again. “That doesn’t look right.”

Leon checked the mirror. The concealer stuck out far worse than the bruise had, because it was a shade lighter than his skin and reflected the light. He groaned. “Oh, great.”

“There must be a trick to it.” Kabu dabbed at it a few times, then shook his head. “I know it’s not supposed to look like that.”

“What if we ask Piers?” Milo said, looking over at Kabu. “He wears makeup. I bet he knows how to put on some concealer.”

A small, timid voice spoke up from behind them. “I can go get ‘im for you.”

They all turned to see Allister peering out from one of the stalls, and Leon kicked himself for not checking to see if the bathroom had been truly empty before he started trying to fix his bruise. He opened his mouth to try to apologize to Allister for what he’d overheard, but Allister spoke up before he could. “I’ll g-go get Piers,” he said, and then he darted out the door.

Leon, Kabu, and Milo all exchanged a look. The door opened again and Allister poked his head back in. “Oh… and I’ll k-keep your secret for you, Leon,” he said, and then he was gone again.

Milo scratched his head. “Strange kid, that one.”

“Good kid, though,” Kabu said, looking at Leon. “Unless you don’t want Piers knowing.”

Leon shook his head. “He already knows about me and Raihan,” he said, not daring to go into more detail than that. “And right now I could really use his help.”

He didn’t have to wait long for it either. A couple of minutes later the door opened again and Piers entered, giving the group an exasperated look. “The ghost kid mumbled something about you needin’ my help and bolted,” he said. “What the hell’s the big emergency?”

Milo pointed to the patch of Leon’s neck that currently sported the messy concealer. “We need your help fixing a bruise.”

“Oh, is that it?” Raihan entered the bathroom right after Piers did, sporting a fanged grin. “And here you had me all worried, Leon. I didn’t realize you were just trying to cover up my handiwork.”

Leon glared at him. “This was your fault to begin with.”

Raihan held up his hands in surrender. “Not my fault you’re so damn sexy.”

“If you’re gonna fight like an old married couple, save it for when you two idiots are alone.” Piers sighed and pushed Milo and Kabu out of the way so he could study Leon’s neck. He took one look at it and groaned. “Are you ser-- ugh, you can’t just slap some concealer on and expect it to work without blendin’ it out. I don’t expect any of you to have a makeup sponge on you either.”

Kabu and Raihan just shook their heads. Milo paused, then spoke up. “Would some Wooloo wool work?”

“You got some on you?” Piers asked, and he raised an eyebrow when Milo nodded. “You know what, I’m not even gonna ask. Just give me some so I can get to work.”

Milo tugged a ball of wool out of his pocket and handed it to Piers, who pulled Leon’s cape out of the way so he could dab at Leon’s neck. “Next time I’m over at your place,” Piers said as he worked, “I am givin’ you a lesson in how to hide bruises, because just lookin’ at this I can tell that Raihan doesn’t know when to stop.”

“I know when to stop,” Raihan said, snorting. “He just didn’t want me to.”

Leon shot him another glare. “If you  _ had _ stopped, I wouldn’t be in this mess where literally every single gym leader found out about us before I could even tell them.”

Raihan flashed a grin. “That just means I saved you the trouble of telling them.”

“Just because of that, I am going to  _ humiliate _ you in the finals,” Leon muttered.

Piers rolled his eyes and pulled back from Leon’s neck. “There, you’re done,” he said. “Happy now?”

Leon checked the mirror. His neck looked much better now that Piers had blended the concealer out, and even though it was still paler than the rest of his skin, someone would still have to take a close look to realize it. “That looks much better, Piers. Thank you so much.” He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his cape back up. “I promise to pay you back for this later.”

“It’s fine, just learn to fix your own bruises.” Piers tossed the cotton ball back to Milo and turned to go. “I’m goin’ back out before someone notices that half the gym leaders are gone. I suggest you do the same.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Leon said, straightening. He smiled at Kabu and Milo as he turned to leave, but when he looked at Raihan, it was with a sour look. “Let’s go, Raihan. We’ll talk about this later.”

“Alright, alright.” Raihan shrugged and and followed Leon out of the bathroom “Let’s just get through the rest of the night first.”

They stepped out of the men’s room just in time to see Nessa heading toward the women’s room across the hall. She paused to look at them, one eyebrow raised at seeing Piers, Leon, and Raihan all leave the bathroom at once. Then she saw how close Leon and Raihan were standing together, and from the way she smirked at them, Leon knew that Sonia must have already told her the truth. There was no other way he could interpret that knowing grin.

Nessa looked Leon right in the eye. “And they say girls are the ones who go to the bathroom in groups,” she said, before she winked and disappeared into the women’s room.

* * *

Leon didn’t calm down until after Raihan had apologized to him, but once the apology was out of the way, he felt more relaxed than he had in a while. “As embarrassing as that was, it is nice to not worry about telling the gym leaders anymore,” he said, when he and Raihan had stolen some quiet time together on the top floor of Rose Tower. They stood at the edge and looked at the stars above, and Leon smiled. “And it’s a relief that they were so understanding.”

“It’s like I told you, Leon. They know you too well to make a fuss over it.” Raihan laughed and nudged him with an elbow. “And they like you well enough to help you through a pinch. I guess it’s a good thing I got carried away.”

Leon shot him a look. Raihan held up his hands. “I’m joking, I’m joking.”

“Good.” Leon relaxed and leaned against him. He drank in Raihan’s warmth, especially comforting against the cold night air, and he wanted to stay there as long as he could. “I’m still a little mad at you, but for what it’s worth, I’m glad that we got this out of the way. Now we can take our time deciding whether or not to tell anyone else.”

“Um, Leon?” Raihan frowned. “Aren’t you forgetting to tell someone pretty important?”

Leon blinked. “Who?”

Raihan groaned. “Your  _ brother. _ ”

“Hop?” The color slowly drained from Leon’s face. He hadn’t even thought about telling Hop, probably because he hadn’t wanted to think about it. “But Hop - Hop’s still so  _ young. _ There’s no way I can tell him about what we’re doing.”

“I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again - you don’t have to give him the details, you dummy!” Raihan elbowed him under the ribs. “All you have to do is tell him we’re together. Simple as that.”

Leon hesitated. “Are we together, though?” he asked, speaking a little softer than usual. “As in, seriously together? We... haven’t really discussed that yet.”

Raihan fell silent. At first he stared up at the sky, not looking at Leon. Then, slowly, he turned to face him. “Do you want to be?”

Leon hadn’t given it all that much thought, so he didn’t have an answer at first. He looked into Raihan’s eyes, deep and blue and piercing, and he swallowed hard. “I’ve always admired you,” he said at last. “And I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed myself as much as I have when I’m with you. You're someone special to me, Raihan.”

Raihan’s breath hitched. “Fucking Arceus,” he muttered. “My heart literally skipped a fucking beat when you said that, so I guess that’s my answer.”

Leon laughed, taking Raihan’s hand in his own. “Boyfriends?”

“Boyfriends.” Raihan cracked a grin. “But you’re still my rival.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Leon said, and he leaned in to kiss him.

The kiss was gentler than usual, and Raihan didn’t use nearly as much teeth, but it was still enough to make Leon’s heart flutter and take his breath away. Raihan wrapped his arms around Leon’s waist to pull him close, and Leon wrapped his around Raihan’s neck to keep him there. He lost track of how long they kissed. All he focused on was enjoying it.

When Raihan pulled back, both he and Leon were flushed and short of breath. Raihan managed a laugh. “I’d love to stay here and kiss you all night,” he said. “But we’ve got a party to get back to.”

“Yes, we do.” Leon smiled, but it was a little shaky. “And I need to figure out what I’m going to say to Hop.”

* * *

Leon didn’t get a chance to be alone with Hop until the night after the semi-finals, and he wondered if that was the best time to tell his little brother about his boyfriend. Hop had seen his League dreams end with one decisive, crushing battle in the semi-finals, and Leon wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that he’d lost to his best friend. 

Hop didn’t seem to be taking it too hard during dinner, but considering that his best friend was sitting right there at the table with him and Leon, it was possible he was just putting on very convincing act. Leon knew better than to ask.

So he tried to relax and make jokes over dinner, doing his best to forget his unsettling conversation with Chairman Rose earlier that night. Hop didn’t bring it up again, and his friend… well, his friend didn’t say much of anything. Leon had since come to expect that from her, and Hop did enough talking for the both of them, but her silence still didn’t help Leon’s fraying nerves.

When they were finished with dinner, she said some quick goodbyes and then was gone. “Probably going back to the Wild Area for some last minute training,” Hop said, watching her go. “She doesn’t seem to like staying in cities that much. I bet if it was up to her, she’d prefer camping out instead of staying in her hotel room tonight.”

Leon shrugged. “Just as long as she’s not late to the finals tomorrow,” he said, placing a hand on Hop’s shoulder so he could steer him back towards the hotel. “You should rest too. You and your pokemon have both had a long day, haven’t you?”

Hop fell silent, rare for him. He looked down at his feet instead of at Leon, and when he did speak, his voice shook. “I’m so sorry, Lee.”

Leon blinked. “What for?”

“For losing!” Hop held his face in his hands. “I wasn’t supposed to lose! I wanted to go all the way through the finals and battle against you just like I promised I would! And to make it worse, I went around telling everyone I was going to be the champion just like my brother, so now they think I’m an idiot!”

“Hop…” Leon frowned and pulled him in for a tight hug. “You and your friend had one of the most intense and dramatic battles I’ve ever seen. I don’t think anyone who saw that could think that you’re an idiot.”

“But…” Hop’s shoulders shook, and he buried his face in Leon’s chest to hide his tears. “I wanted to battle you so badly, Lee. That’s all I’ve ever wanted since you became champion.”

“And you’ll get your chance,” Leon said, stroking a hand through Hop’s hair. “I wanted to battle you too, you know. Getting knocked out in the semi-finals doesn’t mean we can’t have a battle in the future. We’ll just have to settle for an unofficial match until the next season.”

Hop looked up at him, eyes wet. “You mean it?”

“Course I do!” Leon grinned down at him. “C’mon, what sort of big brother would I be if I made my little bro wait a whole season for a battle? Soon as I beat your friend in the finals, you and I will have our own, unofficial match. That’s a promise.”

Hop finally cracked a grin of his own. “You’re lucky it’s unofficial,” he said. “Otherwise I’d be taking your champion crown.”

“Hah! Sounds like someone’s getting cocky.” Leon laughed and ruffled Hop’s hair. “Looks like Charizard and I will have to smack that ego back down to the ground. You know I won’t go easy on you just because you’re my brother.”

“You’ve never gone easy on me even before you were the champion.” Hop rolled his eyes, still grinning. “Even back when we were kids playing pretend in the backyard, you always got way too into things to even think about going easy.”

“That’s just because I knew my little brother was strong enough to handle it,” Leon said, patting him on the head. “And you’ve only grown stronger since becoming a trainer. You’ve become a real reliable guy, Hop. That’s why…”

He paused, looking around them to make sure that no one was listening in on their conversation. He didn’t see anyone, but even so, he leaned in closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. “That’s why I want to trust you with a very important secret.”

“A secret?” Hop’s eyes brightened. “What kind of secret?”

“Well, it’s probably not as serious as whatever you’re thinking of.” Leon laughed, but the laugh trailed off. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “But you’re my little brother, so you should know what’s going in my life. I’ve… started dating someone.”

“What?” Hop’s eyes went wide. “You, dating someone? How’d you manage  _ that,  _ Lee? You’re almost as hopeless with dating as you are with directions.”

Leon huffed. “Really feeling the love, Hop,” he said, rolling his eyes. “If you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell you who my boyfriend is.”

“Uh uh, you don’t get to pull that!” Hop tugged on his shirt with a scowl. “I’m your brother. I need to know who your boyfriend is so that I can crush him in a battle if he breaks your heart.”

Leon raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think I can do that myself?”

“Lee!”

“Alright, alright.” Leon rolled his eyes. “It’s Raihan.”

“Raihan?” Hop blinked. He was quiet at first, and Leon’s stomach twisted with worry, but then Hop grinned. “Okay. Raihan’s cool enough for me to accept that.”

Leon laughed. “I’ll be sure to let him know that he has your approval,” he said, relaxing when he realized that Hop was supportive of their relationship. “Just make sure you don’t tell anyone else about us, okay? We’re keeping it on the down low for now. I have my reputation as champion, after all.”

“Don’t worry, Lee. I won’t tell a soul.” Hop flashed a cheeky grin. “And don’t worry about your reputation. You and Raihan can go public just as soon as I take your crown from you next season.”

Leon crossed his arms and stared down at Hop, eyes narrowed, but a grin tugging at his lips. “You have a five second headstart before I put you in a headlock and give you a noogie.”

“Just try it!” Hop called over his shoulder, already taking off at a sprint. Leon took off running after him, and the two of them ran, laughing, all the way back to the hotel.

**Author's Note:**

> Leon thinking about getting a new costume is a reference to the outfit he wears when you face him in the battle tower. If you haven't seen it yet I highly suggest looking it up. He looks quite dapper.


End file.
